The father of school social work is considered to be

• A. Mary Richmond
• B. Jane Addams
• C. Sigmund Freud
• D. Ray Graham

Answer: (D)

The concept being tested is recognizing who first shaped the practice of delivering social work services within schools. Ray Graham is considered the father of school social work because he focused on integrating trained social services into the school setting—advocating for and organizing school-based social workers to address students’ welfare, family circumstances, and community factors that impact learning. This laid the foundation for how schools collaborate with social services to support students and families.

By contrast, Mary Richmond is known for developing social casework as a professional method in general, Jane Addams for founding the settlement house movement and social reform, and Sigmund Freud for psychoanalysis. Their contributions are significant to broader social work and psychology, but they are not the origin of school-based social work.